The present invention relates to a pattern editing system for editing a pattern data using an image of repeated patterns.
Conventionally, attempts have been made to show a final form of clothes on a displaying device without actually making the clothes. An exemplary method for such attempts applied to a dress design displaying device is disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent No. HEI 8-272849, teachings of which are incorporated herein by reference. In such a method, firstly, a piece of clothes is made using unfigured clothes material, then an image of the clothes is captured with a camera. An image of the unfigured clothes captured by the camera is then stored in a storage of a computer. Beside the image of the clothes, images of a plurality of figured materials are taken and also stored in the storage of the computer. Then, each of the image of the figured materials is composed with the image of the clothes and displayed to show the finished image (i.e., the final form) of the clothes.
In such a method, a problem arises in that when an image of the figured material is relatively small, the image of the pattern should be arranged to form repeated patterns to cover the clothes. However, at a border at which two images of the figured material are next to each other, the patterns may be shifted from each other (i.e., may not be continuously connected).
In particular, if the figured material includes repeated patterns, it is preferable that, by connecting one of the repeated patterns, the same repeated patterns are to be constituted. However, the captured image of the pattern may include a distortion, and it may be difficult to extract a rectangular image including a unit pattern. Even if a rectangular pattern is extracted, due to the distortion, the adjoining patterns may have offset.
To avoid such a problem, it has been necessary to create an image of a sufficiently large figured clothes material which may cover the image of the clothes. Such an image requires a large data storage area. Further, it is difficult to capture an image of such a large material.